Line-up announced for BSB conference

Members and non-members are invited to the British Society of Baking (BSB) conference, taking place at Ardencote Manor hotel in Warwickshire on 2-3 October.

Highlights, on 3 October, include Nick Tatum, category director for bakery at Tesco, who will talk about the retailer’s new in-store formats and its new wider range of sweet and savoury good.

Nick Harris of BFP will introduce the new Bakers’ Marque, which looks at the five principles of Provenance, Production Process, Product, Staffing and Community, and how achieving the Marque could be a valuable aid in marketing your business.

Former Baker of the Year at the Baking Industry Awards, Robin Jones of Village Bakery, Coedpoeth, will discuss the successful initiatives that helped him grow his business and achieve the top accolade.

Alex Waugh of Nabim will look at the 2012 wheat harvest, including milling grists for bread flour, and Ian Robinson of ADM Milling will show how information is used to maintain consistent quality and supply for bakers in a cost-effective way.

John Figgins of the BRC will discuss the first six months of issue 6 of the BRC Global Standard. And, on the training side, Louise Codling of the National Skills Academy will talk about funding and quality of future bakery courses, while Jane Houzer of South Bank University will discuss the advances in bakery education made by the National Bakery School and the degrees it offers.

Reducing Hidden Sodium in Bakery Goods will be a topical paper presented by Dinnie Jordan of Kudos Blends who will show how a reduction of 50% of sodium in products aerated with baking powder can be achieved without affecting product quality of flavour.

The conference kicks off the previous day, 2 October, with a workshop on Creative Leadership and Problem Solving by Shari Rife of Rich Products, who is flying in specially to demonstrate how each manager can become a better leader in bakery by driving growth, overcoming business challenges and identifying new opportunities.

This workshop costs just £30. For conference rates including an option of dinner and/or bed, breakfast and lunch telephone the BSB secretary on 01869 247098/277094 or email bsb@freeuk.com or go to the British Society of Baking’s website, select ‘conferences’ and choose your options from the dropdown menu.